To get out, to get back
by Averal
Summary: AU. Ichigo grew up under the reign of king Aizen, but he still remembers the good times before that man's revolution. When he is forced to leave his family, he decides to join the rebels. Could the rightful heir to the throne still be alive?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**** 1:** Hey there :) It's my first fiction in English and though I've learned this beautiful language for some years now, my spelling and punctuation is not perfect. But still I hope you enjoy it.

**A/N 2: **As you may have noticed, it's the second version of this story, with all the spelling and grammar checked. And so I'd like to thank my dear Beta once more for the amazing work she's doing for me :)

**Caution 1:** Not all the characters will appear from the beginning. Some have to be introduced later, even much later. So, don't get disappointed over that. I'll try to cover for everybody.

**Caution 2:** The story is inspired by the "Anastasia" movie. So don't be surprised if you notice any similarities :)

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I don't own Bleach. I just own some crappy books which I have to learn by heart in order to pass my exams. I also don't own any of the songs I'm going to quote. But that does not change the fact I love both.

**Chapter One**

_Seiretei's now so gloomy__  
Seiretei's now so bleak  
my poor guitar got frozen  
singing like this all week  
since the revolution  
our lives have been so grave!  
thank goodness for the gossip  
that gets us through the day  
hey!_

_have you heard?__  
there's a rumor in our Seiretei  
have you heard?  
what they're saying on the streets_

_although the king did not survive__  
one daughter may be still alive!  
the king Kuchiki's daughter  
but please do not repeat_

_its a rumor, a legend, a mystery,__  
something whispered in an alleyway  
or through a crack.  
it's a rumor that's part of our history_

_they say her royal grand-papa__  
will pay a royal sum  
to someone who can bring the princess back!_

_have you heard?__  
there's a rumor…_

'Stop singing that!' Isshin Kurosaki yelled at his beloved daughter, Yuzu.  
'Why, dad?' she asked quite surprised.  
All four of them were sitting in the kitchen of their quite big house after they finished the supper. Since Yuzu remembered, they had been eating all their meals in the kitchen, though they had a proper dining room. Probably because they father dismissed the last chambermaid a few years ago. And since the old cook left, just the four of them had been taking care of the whole household.  
'We might have problem, if some idiot hears you and reports us to the authorities,' answered Isshin.  
His three children sighed. He had always been like that. He was so afraid that any sign of them not supporting king Aizen will get to the wrong ears. It used to make him a coward in the eyes of his own son for many years. Till the day he was told the truth.  
'Why are you so goddamned afraid of?' Ichigo exclaimed straight into his father face when he was fifteen and Isshin forbid him to attend the swordsmanship lessons that some of his classmates were attending in nearby town. 'They killed your beloved king and you lay here flat, doing nothing!'  
'I never told you it all, because you were too young. But I guess it's time I told you the truth.'  
Ichigo's eyes widened then and he listened to his father the way he never did before.  
'I was then a nobleman, well, I still formally hold the title of Duke, but then I was really a Duke. I wanted to help people, so I became a doctor. I loved king Kuchiki, so I became his soldier and doctor. His friend. Almost his right hand. I met your mother and fell in love with her. So we get married. You were born, your sisters were born. In the meantime, when king's younger daughter was born, he offered me to marry her off to you.'  
'You never told me that!' exclaimed Ichigo. 'Why the hell?'  
'You were too young then. I sometimes wonder, if you even remember her?'  
Ichigo didn't have to nod. He remembered too well. He remembered the day when his father took him to the palace. He had already known the palace, along with the king, the queen and all the guards, even the crown princess Hisana, much older than him and already married, and her husband, whom he had seen just once. That day, he was to be introduced to something new. Someone, who was supposed to become very important to him.  
'You'll meet a pretty, little girl, of whom you'll have to take care since now,' his father told him.  
And he met her. Beautiful, little girl, with dark eyes and black hair. She seemed to be so fragile.  
'My name is Rukia,' she said, curtsying.  
'I'm Kurosaki Ichigo,' he answered bowing to her.  
Then his father would take him to the palace everyday and he would play with her. They raced among the corridors, rode on ponies, painted, played some children's games. Sometimes they'd spar using his wooden swords. Sometimes he would attend her afternoon tea for dolls. Whenever Hisana was in Seireitei, she would come and play with them. Ichigo liked the older princess, but still he preferred the younger one. She was like a sister to him. When he was six and his real sisters were born, she demanded to meet them and visited their home a few times. She forced him to promise, that he will always like her, despite the fact, that he had two real sisters. And he promised without hesitation.  
And then, one day, he went with his family to visit his grandparents. He promised Rukia he'd be back soon and that he'd write her a letter. He was seven and already had the mysterious ability of putting different symbols on paper in not too straight rows, in which they made perfect sense. She was to start learning to write soon.  
But he never started the letter. Just after they arrived to his grandparents' everything ended. In one night. His mom disappeared. They moved into this house that seemed so small to him back then, compared to their home in Seiretei and the Palace. . When he came to terms with the fact that his mom passed away and he'd never see her again he learned that he'd never see his princess again. Why – no one wanted to tell him. And as the time passed it all went dark, forgotten, turning into the shadows of the past. Past that no one would talk to him about.  
Isshin continued his story.  
'Then, one night, everything crumbled. I guess you remember that. We were at Masaki's parents home. The second night of our stay a messenger woke us up with news from my friend, captain Ukitake, that one of the king's officers, captain Aizen, had gathered some refugees and started a revolution. He killed everyone in the Palace, only some of the king's men were able to escape. He told us to run as well. Despite his advice I wanted to go to Seiretei to fight Aizen, but he was first to come. I was one of the closest people to the king and he wanted to make me surrender. What he did… It worked. Because of that I became who I am now.'  
Now it was Isshin's turn to fall silent for a moment. Ichigo was staring at him, his breath taken away.  
'He killed your mother. He threatened that unless I laid low, he'd kill you and your sisters. Right after Masaki's death it was too real to me. I didn't want to lose you too. I agreed. He took my sword, the source of my pride and weapon as the king's soldier, and took it with himself. He took all of our properties, leaving me just this little village and this house. And, ironically, left me with the title of Duke. I was broken then. If it hadn't been for the three of you, I would have jumped from a rooftop. And so we are here. I'm afraid of what you do, because I know there's still someone who keeps an eye on me and if I do something wrong in Aizen's opinion, you'll be the ones to suffer.'  
And since that day, Ichigo had understood. He hadn't known that his mother was killed by Aizen's man. And so he decided that one day he'll go against the king. To revenge all the things they lost.  
'But dad…' Yuzu started, forcing Ichigo to snap out of his thoughts. 'It's just a song…'  
'I can sing you any adorable lullaby my daughter, but in exchange promise your dear father never to repeat this risky song!'  
'Like we would like to hear you sing ever again…,' murmured Yuzu's twin, Karin.  
'Oh, wayward daughter! How can you be so ruthless to your beloved father?'  
Ichigo knew what was coming. He decided to leave as fast as he could.  
'I'll be back by downfall,' he announced and stood up.  
'My son, won't you join us for…'  
He ignored his father. Sometimes he really wondered if that man could have ever been respected at royal court.

At the first sight someone would think that no one could differ from each other more than Ichigo and two of his best friends – Chad and Ishida. But if anyone got to know them, they would soon change their mind. Those three were extremely similar. Never talking too much, bottling all their problems up. But still, somehow helping each other out.  
They were just walking through the fields, as they did every evening. Walking mostly in silence. Sometimes Ichigo or Ishida would talk about something. Chad was silent.  
Each one's family owned a village in the neighborhood. They had been friends since school. They had attended together both primary and secondary school, the latter in the town of Karakura. There they had shared a room in one of the dorms. Unfortunately, further education was not a thing Chad and Ishida could afford. They were not poor, but since Aizen's reign started, only the richest could afford any kind of college. And, of course, the children of his henchmen. Ishida's family had been deprived of their fortune by the king's men, because they had been opposing the king. Any kind of king, be it Kuchiki or Aizen, or anyone else. They wanted full democracy. And that, which no previous king found harmful, had been punished by Aizen. And so, Ishida was put on the black list of the ones never to be let into any collage. Chad was from quite a wealthy family too, but the only school he wanted to attend was the military academy. But that would make him become Aizen's soldier someday and that was something neither he nor his grandfather would allow. Ichigo was able to go to the medical school, but this was not what he wanted. He shared Chad's dream.  
'So, when are you leaving? Do you finally know that?' asked Ishida.  
'Yeah. In a fortnight.'  
This short exchange of words was typical for them. They continued their walk, but it wasn't long till Chad suddenly stopped.  
'Look,' he said, pointing at something ahead of them.  
What caught his attention where two soldiers, apparently the ones stationed in the little garrison in the nearby village. One of them was standing, holding a girl, who was desperately trying to escape from him. The other one was standing in front of them, hands on her breasts. It was more than obvious that they wanted to hurt her.  
The three acted on instinct. They just bolted towards the two soldiers.  
'Hey, you two! Live her alone!' shouted Ichigo.  
The men must have noticed them. The one molesting the girl turned towards them, standing with his hands akimbo.  
'Hey boys. If I were you, I'd rather just pass by. Do you understand?'  
He was confident. He was a king's soldier with a sword, and they were just a bunch of unarmed kinds. He had no idea that they were considered the best fist fighters in their school. That even the local cutpurses were afraid of them.  
One Ichigo's solid punch in the stomach and the proud one was laying on the ground. Chad attacked the second one, punching him right in the head. The shocked man let go of the girl, who tottered and definitely would have fallen if it hadn't been for Ishida who caught her. Miraculously, the soldier did not fall, he just swayed and tried to attack the tall boy. But it was useless. Chad not only blocked the punch, but even with one firm swing knocked him over.  
'Are you okay?' Ishida asked the girl.  
She nodded. When she lifted her face, they noticed wet marks on her cheeks. It was only now that they recognized her. She was Orihime Inoue. They all attended together the grammar school. It was then when her brother died. He broke his neck falling of a horse. Ichigo's father was unable to help him. Since then she had been living alone in a beautiful, little cottage on the outskirts of his village.  
'We'd better get out of here before they come to,' proposed Ishida.  
No one opposed. They got up, helping Orihime, who was not able to stand on her own. She gave her persecutors one final look and gasped.  
'He's… he's bleeding!'  
Ichigo looked in the direction of the man he punched. He was laying motionless on the ground. The sand next to his head was turning purple.  
'Shit…'  
In one jump he was next to the man. With a firm hand he checked the pulse in his neck. It was gone.  
'He's dead…' he said, slowly standing up. His eyes were fixed on the horizon.  
'Shit!' exclaimed Ishida. 'What did you do, you…' he started, but Chad gave him a sign to stop.  
Ichigo was standing there. In the rays of the setting sun he seemed different. Like a ghost or a phantom not of this world. He was clenching his fist as hard as he could. _I killed a man, I am a killer. _It raced rapidly in his head, round and round. He could hear Orihime sobbing, not really sure if she should cry.  
'Let's go,' said Chad suddenly.  
Nobody answered. Nobody moved.  
'Let's go,' the tall boy repeated.  
'Yeah,' answered Ichigo, suddenly slapping out of his thoughts. That was the time neither for thoughts nor for remorse. This time would come later. Now they had to move. To move as far away from here as they could. To save their own heads. And so, he was the first one to move.

But they could not leave in an instant.  
'Where are we going?' Ishida managed to ask as they were approaching the village. Short of breath, he was barely able to throw out the words which formed this question.  
'To my home, my father will help us,' answered Ichigo. At least he hoped his old man would be willing to help them.  
They were running all the time, Chad carrying Orihime, who was weeping buckets. It was still bright when they approached Ichigo's home. They entered through the garden and through the kitchen door. It was pure luck his father was sitting in the kitchen completely alone.  
'What the hell…' he started, but did not finish.  
He was a wiser man than he seemed to be. He poured each of them a glass of water. He found a handkerchief for Orihime, who was still not able to stop sobbing. And when Ichigo caught his breath enough to talk, he did not interrupt him a single time.  
'I understand,' he said, having listened to their story. 'I knew one day it will come to this. It was a matter of time. You're just as I used to be in the old, good times,' and, strange as it seemed, he smiled. ' You know none of you can stay here much longer, don't you?'  
They all nodded.  
'You have to run. I advise you to take horses. You can take yours,' he told Ichigo, 'and this young lady may take that dun mare I bought for Karin. But, as much as I would like, I just cannot afford to give horses to you,' he told the other two boys.  
'We'll get our own,' said Ishida.  
'Good. Now listen to me. The three of you will go home. Take only a change of clothes and as much money as you can. I'll provide you with provisions. And weapons.'  
'What?' asked shocked Ishida.  
'And what do you think? That I'll let you leave unarmed, when you'll have certainly some soldiers on your tail? I may be old, not stupid. Come now.'  
He stood up and left the kitchen. They followed him. Karin, who was climbing the stairs, looked at them with surprise.  
'Ichigo? Dad? What's…'  
'Later,' Isshin said it with a voice he never used on his children before. For the first time in her life, Karin backed off, not trying to start a fight with her father.  
He took them to the basement.  
'Aizen was stupid to leave me this exact manor,' he said with a small smile.  
He just pushed a chandelier on the wall, and a fragment of wall moved, granting them a free passage to very tiny stairs.  
'Keep your heads down,' said Ichigo in a firm voice.  
For a moment Orihime became her usual self.  
'Wow, Ichigo, you never told us about secret passages in your house back in the school…'  
'I didn't know about them then,' he answered.  
'Wow…'  
At the end of the stairs there was a large room. Isshin quickly walked round it, putting fire to all the candlesticks inserted into the walls. Now they could admire the room in its full splendor.  
It was a large, square room, with lines and circles painted on the floor. There was one big mirror on the wall, and one great, but silent fireplace. The room was quite high. Chad doubted he could touch the ceiling even if he jumped. And from the floor to the ceiling, the walls were decorated with weapons. Along the wall with the fireplace stood armors.  
'Take whatever you like,' said Isshin. 'Except for those swords,' he pointed at the collection of beautiful swords next to the mirror.  
'How come…?' asked shocked Ishida.  
'I used to be a captain in one of the 13 Protective Squads of king Kuchiki. After the war I was robbed almost of everything, but fortunately no one noticed my little private armory. Please, be careful with whatever you choose, a lot of this is antique.'  
'Will they work if they are that old?' Ishida was not quite sure.  
'Hey, believe my old man,' smiled Ichigo. 'I practiced with a lot of this stuff.'  
'You did…?'  
'Ishida, I'll tell you later. Now hurry. We're running out of time.'  
'Thank you, but I have my bow at home,' replied a bit offended Ishida, placing his glasses further on his nose.  
Chad was already staring at the collection of different gloves, mostly with metal spikes and hooks. Orihime was standing still, unsure what to do.  
'Leave your weapons at home,' said Isshin. 'If they think that you're unarmed you'll have an advantage. And you just can't have better bowstrings than the ones I've got here.'  
'Um…' started Orihime.  
'Is there a problem?' Isshin asked her.  
'It's just… I'm not good with weapons at all…'  
The man smiled.  
'I'll find something for you here. A little bow and a dagger would be suitable, I guess.'  
He had no problem picking for her not only a bow and a dagger, but also a quite beautiful quiver.  
'The lightest we have,' he explained. He took another one and gave it to Ishida, who already found himself a proper bow. 'This one will fit you, I guess.'  
The boy accepted the gift with a 'thank you'. Chad already chose a glove. Isshin fixed him also a crossbow and yet another quiver.  
'You may need that,' he said. 'Now go. You shall meet in one hour by the milestone to Karakura. I've got a friend in that town, one that can help you.'  
They were already leaving, when Chad turned around his shoulder.  
'Thank you.'  
Ishida only slightly nodded. And they hurried out.  
'And what about you, my dear?' Isshin asked Orihime, who was standing still as if she didn't know what to do.  
'Um… I just don't have anything appropriate at home to ride a horse in… and I just don't know…'  
'We'll get you something. One of my friends in the old days used to leave all her hunting clothes here. I think they shall fit you well. And you put this useless sword in it's proper place,' he told Ichigo.  
'But that's the sword I've practiced with…' his son started.  
'Just put it away. And get yourself a crossbow. I have something different for you.'  
'It's the best sword available here, you know,' Ichigo muttered, putting the weapon it its previous place.  
'Not better than this, I guess…'  
He turned around to see his father taking another sword from the wall, from among the swords he had told them not to touch.  
'Wow,' exclaimed Orihime.  
The sword was big. Very big. Almost as high as Ichigo was.  
'How the hell am I supposed to wield this big crap?' he asked, frowning even more than he usually did.  
'Son, believe in your father's competence! Take this beautifully forged piece of war art and accept it with an open heart!'  
'No way. I'm taking MY sword,' he turned to take back the one he just put away.  
'Son, this sword has been forged specially for you the moment I decided your future with the king! It was forged by the best blacksmith in this country! It was predestined to serve as the weapon for you to protect…'  
'Okay, I get that,' Ichigo interrupted Isshin's tirade. But it was not because his father managed to convince him. He just didn't want Orihime, as much as any of his acquaintances, to know about his family history. It was the past. And the past was gone.  
Isshin, clearly satisfied, just handed him the sword. The moment he touched the hilt Ichigo had to give his father his due. The sword was not heavy. He pulled the sword out of its sheath and swung around, using just one hand. Strange, while the weapon seemed to be a two-handed one.  
'So, now we can get you some supplies and some clothes for this beautiful lady…'

They met exactly an hour later by the milestone. Orihime, automatically made responsible for all the food matters, made them divide supplies among themselves, for every horse to carry. It was not much, but should be enough for two or three days. They rode at a trot. They had to spare the horses, to ride as long as they could without a stop.  
They were riding in silence for an hour. Just then did Orihime ask the question they needed to answer.  
'What are we supposed to do from now on? Where are we heading?'  
Silence fell again.  
'I guess we'll go to my father's friend in Karakura,' finally said Ichigo. 'And then we'll decide what to do next.'  
No one opposed him. They did not know what else there was to do. It was too soon. They rode during the rest of the night in complete silence.

**A/N:** And how it was? Please, tell me, if there is someone who wants me to continue :) See you in the next chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Finally, chapter two is up! Sorry it took me so long, but last week I had the most horrible, morbid, hard, fearsome exam you can imagine… I had been learning for three whole weeks to finally pass it. Smart, am I not? xD Now I'm going to celebrate it for the next two weeks, but still I hope I'll be able to post a new chapter soon. As for now – enjoy chapter two!

**CHAPTER TWO**

They rode not only the following night, but also the day after. Trot-trot-trot, not even saying a word. Each of them had problems to solve by themselves, things to consider.

Thoughts were racing once more in Ichigo's mind. _I killed a man, I'm a murderer. _As much as he would like it, he could not deny this. It didn't matter it was not intentional. Someone's life had been taken away. Life of a man, who might've not been perfect but after whom someone would be mourning. Parents, wife, maybe kids? He was not to judge that man. Whatever he had intended to do to Orihime did not mean that he deserved death. He deserved punishment. Not death.

Anyway, he was now a _killer_. The harder he tried to prove to himself that he was not, he knew he was lying to himself. Insisting on the fact that he did not want to kill him was just a load of crap. He could not lie to himself – if killing that man was the only thing that could stop the soldier from hurting Orihime, he would have killed him. It was the sad truth. He would kill to protect any of his friends, his sisters, even his horrible father. Someone might think it made him a brave man, but he felt like a coward because of it. In his own eyes he was the worst kind of man.

Trot-trot-trot as they rode.

His father brought him up in a deep respect for life. He wanted him to become a doctor. Ichigo knew that was a good idea. He would have become respected. He would have been able to start his own family, get married, have a good life. All the things that everybody would like to have. But in his deepest dreams he wanted to become a member of King's 13 Protective Squads. He knew that it was impossible now, as the Squads served Aizen. He hated that man. So he dreamed of becoming a rebel, to defeat him and become one of the protectors of the true king who would have been chosen then. It was the dream of his life. Ironically, as a rebel he would have to kill people. And now, as he killed that man, his biggest dream was something he was no longer sure about.

'Ichigo…,' Orihime interrupted his thoughts. He turned towards her.

'Yeah?'

'Can we stop for a moment? Just very short? To drink something, eat…?'

They had been riding for the whole previous night without a single stop. Eight hours at least. Ichigo looked around.

'We may stop in those trees, but for as short as we can,' he said pointing at a little copse in the distance.

She just nodded. And again they rode in silence. They stopped in silence. And they resumed they ride in silence.

'We should stop somewhere for the night. We need some sleep and horses need a break,' said Ichigo when the sun was starting to set.

'I agree,' replied Ishida. 'But we should make it as far as we can before the nightfall.'

Ichigo just nodded.

* * *

'It's so nice not to sit in the saddle,' murmured Orihime stretching her back.

They decided not to start a campfire. Partly because they feared being caught, partly because they were not able to start one without matches. They had just four blankets with which Isshin had equipped Orihime and Ichigo. Each of them wrapped one around themself and laid down. They should have been tired, but none could fall asleep.

'You know,' started Orihime in a tone widely known as theatrical whisper. 'I wonder if anyone is wondering where we went…'

'My father is definitely not,' said Ishida. 'I left him a note that I'm in trouble and I need to leave. And that he is not to look for me. As he would, anyway,' he added a bit bitterly.

His father had never been a good father. He never cared. The boys knew that and Orihime could still remember the time when she had run to Ishida's home to tell the father that his son had broken his arm falling from a tree. 'That's his problem and none of my concern,' was exactly what he had said. She was so shocked she just run out of the room. Old days, but enough to stop her from asking questions now.

'And what about you, Chad?' she asked instead.

'I told grandfather the truth,' he replied. 'He just said we did the right thing.'

He still could hear his grandfather's words: 'You have big fists. You are strong. Protect others.'

'I think I don't need to answer this question,' said Ichigo. 'My father's probably gonna brag all over the place how I left two weeks earlier to pick his daughter-in-law at last. That old bastard has only one in his head. What about you, Orihime?'

'I'm glad you asked,' they could sense in the tone of her voice that she smiled. 'I doubt that anyone would miss me. Since my brother died I've been living alone. You know, I dream of becoming a nurse, maybe a doctor. Well, I'm not sure if I can afford a medical school. Nurse is an easier goal. I wanted to ask your father for advice. But anyway I was going to leave quite soon. I just hope your father would be keen to help me with selling my house, so that I have money for any further education. I'll write to him as soon as we get to Karakura town and I find myself a proper job. So, nothing really changed. It's just as if someone else made the decision about leaving for me.'

'Well, I guess my father will be more than happy to help you with it,' answered Ichigo.

'You really think so? I hope he will!'

'Now, that we're finally talking,' started Ishida, not wanting Orihime to continue her monologue any longer. 'Ichigo, you mentioned something about swordsmanship practice, but yet you never…'

'My old man taught me some of it. Swordsmanship, some hand-to-hand combat, even a bit of archery. But I've never been good with bows or crossbows. That damn dungeon was not a good place for this kind of practice.'

Ishida tried to check his glasses, but he just touched the back of his nose. He had put them in the quiver before laying down.

'We'd better go to sleep,' Ichigo cut the talk off. 'Whoever wakes up first is to wake up the rest, okay? We need to leave as soon as we can. Only when we reach Karakura will we be safe.'

* * *

Karakura wasn't far away. Five days of normal ride, with all-night stopovers. It meant they were halfway to the town. If they had left early in the morning and wouldn't stop too often they would have reached it before the break of the next day. But of course they overslept.

When Ishida woke up sun was already high. He woke the others up and after a very quick breakfast they resumed their journey.

'If we ride in the same way we did before we should make it to Karakura by tomorrow noon,' stated Ichigo.

'We know,' answered Ishida. 'We rode this way with you each year to school, have you forgotten?'

'I didn't. But if we speed up we will be able to reach the village of Yumeno, Yuteno or whatever it is called and stay for the night in the inn there, as we used to do. And, depending on our speed we'll arrive in Karakura by tomorrow evening or even sooner.'

'We may be remembered in the inn,' pointed out Ishida.

'I doubt it. Even if they are hunting for us, they won't come this far in my opinion. They are too lazy for that. And we can pretend we are just a few of many students heading to one of Karakura's many schools.'

'I agree!' exclaimed Orihime. 'Riding by nights is just dangerous; there are highwaymen, werewolves and others…'

Ichigo and Ishida exchanged glances. She hadn't changed at all since primary school. Chad just nodded, agreeing with her.

'We don't know the tract that well,' he said.

'There are no robbers here,' replied Ichigo. 'But Chad's right, we can veer off course in the dark or a horse can break its leg stepping into some hole.'

Ishida checked the position of his glasses.

'If something happens, keep in mind I was against this idea.'

But nothing happened. They galloped and trotted in turns to give horses a break. They reached the Yukeno village before dusk. They hired there two rooms – one for them, the other for Orihime. They left in the morning, as planned. But then the least dramatic situation rained on their parade.

'What?' asked Ichigo.

'What you hear,' answered the farmer.

They met him on the cross-roads, a mile before a little bridge on a stream called Hoyazuki. He was wearing a straw hat and kept two cows on a string.

'Damned bridge collapsed just yesterday. I was turned back just by it, and I can tell ya, the hole was just in the middle, big as shit. Anyway, no one will pass that way until they fix the damned thing and that may last long.'

'So what should we do?' asked Orihime. Her face expressed great confusion and uncertainty. She looked quite beautiful that way and it made the man a little more helpful.

'There's a ford. If you turn left now you'll reach it. It was quite popular before the bridge was built. I'll take that way myself, but tomorrow, because today I won't make it to the market anyway,' he sighed.

'Thank you!' exclaimed Orihime as they turned the horses the way he pointed to them. 'We're really grateful!'

She could be very useful in moments like this. Unfortunately, the new route was much longer. They made it to the city just before the closing of the gates. The curfew, set by king Aizen in the very beginning of his reign and not changed since then, was to begin soon. There was no time to search for the friend of Ichigo's father so they decided to put up in an inn. They managed to check three and one of them proved to be neat, clean and of a decent price. They ate a good dinner in the main room and while Orihime, Ishida and Chad wanted to spend some time in there to celebrate their successful escape, Ichigo went upstairs, to their room. He told them he was tired and his butt hurt too much for him to spend more hours sitting on a wooden bench. Fortunately, they didn't inquire.

The curfew had already begun. No one was to go outside, though in inns and private houses people were allowed to stay up longer, for an hour or so. Until the bells of commissariat rang.

The room was quite big, with a large table in the middle. Two beds were standing by the window, while the one he chose from the beginning was far from it, near the door. The light from the streetlights didn't reach there. The window faced one of the side streets, not the main street which the façade of the inn faced.

He wanted to lay in darkness for a bit to finally find a solution to all his doubts. He wasn't able to do it - since the moment they had resumed they journey after the night they had spent outdoors Orihime was striking up a conversation with all of them all the time. Surprisingly it was not annoying. It just interrupted his stream of thoughts. Very unpleasant thoughts, he had to admit. And he had to find some kind of solution. To help him decide what he should do now.

But now, as he had perfect conditions to indulge in thoughts, they were not coming so easly. The phrase _'I'm a killer'_ faded away. Now there was a question: _am I a killer?_ What made you a killer? Did you have to act with premeditation to be considered one? What if the death was just an accident? He was sure, he _would be able_ to kill in order to protect, but in this case he hadn't wanted to do that. So… did that make him a killer or not?

He heard a creak of the casement. It had to be the wind, while he opened the window upon entering the room to let in some fresh air. He opened his eyes and looked towards the window. And then he gasped. He saw a ghost.

* * *

_She was five. He was six.__ And it was already dark._

_They hid in a building in the end of royal gardens. Many years before it used to be a summerhouse for garden parties. It had big casements, reaching the floor, that had been used as additional doors during those parties. But now there were only gardeners' tools stored in there. He had found her an hour before. She had been sitting there since noon. When she saw him enter she run to him. She embraced him stronger than her five-year-old arms seemed to allow._

'_Ichigo!' she exclaimed. 'I was so scared!'_

_And she told him everything. She had gotten into her father's office. She had sat in his chair and pretended she was the king signing his orders. She hadn't touched anything; she knew she was not allowed. She had her own paper and crayons. Her father allowed her to do that. But this time something went wrong and she pushed the inkwell._

'_And it all spilled! On his documents!' Rukia clung to Ichigo with a cry._

_He tried to explain that she just should apologize. He could hear people walking through the gardens, calling both their names. The moon was getting through the window, lightening the inside a bit._

_She wouldn't listen to him. She was too afraid of her father getting angry with her. Although he probably was furious already._

'_Rukia! Ichigo! Rukia!' a voice called from behind the wall._

_Rukia shuddered. A few more moments and a silhouette appeared in the window. A feminine silhouette, which reminded Ichigo of a night butterfly… not a moth, because moths were hairy and disgusting, but a beautiful, pure black midnight butterfly._

'_Hisana!' Rukia darted towards her sister._

* * *

_Hisana!_, he had to bite his tongue not to exclaim it.

The silhouette was exactly the same as then… Strange he remembered it so well… The way the hair aired her head. The wide sleeves that every princess Hisana's dress had. And the long, flaring skirt…

It was only when she moved that he realized it was just a coat, definitely too big for her. So she was not a ghost… Not an illusion. Just a burglar. Shit. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He could try to catch her, but then he'd have to turn her in to the authorities. And she'd be punished, not for burglary, but for breaking the curfew. If he made too much noise she could be caught by someone else. Strange, but he didn't want her to be caught, maybe because she made him remember that evening so many years ago. One of the evenings of that perfect, fairytale-like life. Just because of that he didn't want her to get caught and punished. He had to scare her off silently.

She was waiting for her eyes to get accustomed to the darkness. There were some things lying on the beds, may them be some clothes – good clothes were worth a try. Fall was coming, with its cold nights. She silently jumped off the window onto the floor. The coat was a nuisance but it had a hood – useful in hiding her face from the policemen chasing her. But getting inside a house she would pull it down – it impaired her hearing and narrowed her field of vision. She went straight to the nearest bed, quite anxious, while this was her first self-reliant break in. No one helped her, even nobody stood on the lookout. She was sure she was alone. All customers were supposed to be happy-go-luckily sitting in the main room, with ale, listening to some stupid ballads. _Have you heard, there's a rumor in our Seireitei_ her ass. It was when a hand covered her mouth and an armed gripped her waist that she realized she was not alone in that damned room. Holy crap, and she was keen to call herself an experienced burglar. It was all just because she was just used to collective work. She'll kill them for sending her here alone to 'prove herself'.

'Be quiet. If you promise you'll leave this room now I'll not turn you in to the police,' he uncovered her mouth.

'And what else I can do in your opinion, you bastard?' she hissed.

'Well, you should be glad I don't make you promise that you'll never break in again,' he let her go.

'As if my word means anything,' she laughed, realizing there was a drop of bitterness in her voice. Fortunately, he didn't notice it.

'You know, I'm saving your ass you bitch,' he just grumbled.

She was on the window sill again. Her back to him. She turned around and caught a glimpse of bright hair quite far from the floor.

'Like I'm ever gonna thank you, you jerk!' she pulled her hood on and jumped.

He gasped and rushed to the window. They were on the second floor. But there was a haycock just below the window, while the stable door was just a few meters away. She landed on it almost soundlessly. She slipped of it and run, hiding in every dark recess in the walls of the tenement houses. Soon she disappeared from his eyes and he went back to his bed. Not to his thoughts, but to his memories.

* * *

'_Rukia!' Hisana embraced her sister. 'I was worried sick! Everyone was!'_

'_I told you,' murmured Ichigo._

'_But I… I destroyed… papa's documents!' Rukia sobbed, burrowing into her sister._

'_So it was you… I understand now,' Hisana smiled. She had a very beautiful, serene smile. 'Well, he was a bit angry, but a simple apology would do, I guess…'_

'_I told you,' Ichigo repeated himself. 'My dad always say, that when you do something wrong you have firstly to apologize and secondly to fix all the bad. And then everything will be okay. He says everyone makes mistakes.'_

_Hisana laughed. She had a beautiful laughter. No wonder a king of other country fell in love with her. No wonder Rukia held her up as a model, as she told him once._

'_Your father is a wiser man than he seems to be,' Hisana smiled once more. 'Now, Rukia,' she took her sister's hand. 'We'll go back to the palace and you'll apologize to everyone and to papa. You know what for?'_

'_To papa for destroying his documents.'_

'_And to the others?'_

'_For making them worry…?'_

'_I'm glad I have such a smart younger sister,' Hisana's smile widened a bit, making her even prettier. One hand holding her sister, she held out her other hand to the boy. 'Come, Ichigo.'

* * *

_

The burglar stopped in a dark gate leading to some collapsing tenement. There, three high figures were already waiting for her.

'How was it? Your first self-reliant break in?' asked a harsh voice.

'It would be great, if the room wasn't empty.'

They laughed. In a very unpleasant manner.

'Don't you ever dare make fun of me!' she got really irritated. 'I'm better at it than any of you will ever be!'

'I must agree you do it really beautifully, but…' started one of them.

'Beautiful my ass! It's the outcome that counts!' yelled another.

'I won't push my luck two times in one night,' she replied, calming herself. 'If you want, you can try now yourself, Renji.'

'No need to,' he answer. 'Let's just hide for now. You'll just prove yourself tomorrow.'

She was not happy with this outcome, but there was nothing she could do to stop them from laughing at her missed burglary. She couldn't tell them the truth.

When Chad and Ishida returned, Ichigo pretended he was asleep. But when they fell asleep, he stayed awake, finally coming to some conclusions. He killed, that was true. But he killed to protect. If he had became the king's soldier as he used to dream, he would have had to kill to protect. He still wanted to be the king's soldier. And now, he had his way cleared for doing that. He killed a man, a man who was a criminal, who deserved punishment for trying to hurt Orihime. Punishment, not death. That's why Ichigo wanted to fight for the overthrowing king Aizen. For the justice to become. Then he will claim responsibility for that man's death. And he would accept the punishment he would receive. That was his own promise. To fight for justice. The justice of a true king, not some power-hungry impostor. Then his conscious thoughts started to drift away. To the glimpse of the burglar's face he saw before she jumped from the window.

_She had princess Hisana's eyes_, he thought bluntly, just for a moment before falling asleep. _But it wasn't her… And it wasn't Rukia… But I'll revenge them and my mother by fighting Aizen. I will. She was just a burglar, but she had Hisana's eyes… Rukia's eyes…_

**A/N:** And? How do You like it? It's not the best piece I've ever written, but as I've already stated I'm not native English speaker, so I still have some difficulties writing a real story in this beautiful language. Note that I've already changed " - " to " ' ". It was quite difficult for me, while in my language there are always " – " in dialogues.

Great thanks to my beloved Beta, who somehow has found enough time to check this.

Oh, and in this chapter I've referred to an old ballad and a song. Any ideas which ones? See you soon :)


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

When Ichigo woke up, he was in the room alone. He dressed quickly and went downstairs to the main room. Ishida, Chad and Orihime were already there.

'Ichigo!' the girl waved to him.

He joined them at the table. There was a big bowl with bacon and eggs in the middle of the table, so he put some on the plate prepared for him.

'So, today we're going to find your father's friend, aren't we?' asked Orihime, pouring him some coffee form the pot.

'Yeah,' he answered.

'Have you ever even seen him? Or did your father just tell you where to find him?' asked Ishida.

'Well,' Ichigo put the fork he was eating the scrambled eggs with back on his plate. 'I know his name. My father told me where he used to have his shop long time ago. And I used to know him quite well as a child.'

'That's awesome!' exclaimed Orihime happily. 'We won't have a problem finding him!'

'Supposing we find him, what are we going to do then?' asked Ishida.

'Well, we'd better see what kind of help he'll offer to us,' replied Ichigo.

He had a letter from his father to that old friend. Short, written in hurry. Ichigo was quite curious about its content, but did not dare to take a peak inside. To be true, he almost forgot about it. It should be somewhere in his saddlebag. But he'd have plenty of time to find it when they'd leave the inn. The previous day they decided to stay in there just for one night, feeling that the next day they roads might divide once and for all. They paid the owner of the inn and took their horses from the stable. Ichigo took the letter out of the saddlebag and put it into his breast pocket.

First, they decided to check the place where that man used to have a shop. It was a large store on the Karakura main street.

'We won't find him here,' stated Ichigo at first glance. 'He's not the owner anymore. All his estates probably got confiscated by the king and then sold to new owners. Typical.'

'How come you're so sure it is not his anymore?' asked Ishida, patting his horse's head. He seemed to get very well with his dapple-gray stallion called Claud. Maybe because they shared some character features, such as self-confidence and the ability to irritate Ichigo every now and then.

'Read the signboard.'

'Takamana&Sons. Oh.'

'Well, the family name sounds alike,' said Orihime.

'Rather not. We're searching for _Urahara_. Not Takamana, Unohana or anything like that. Urahara is the name.'

They stood for a moment in embarassing silence.

'So what are we going to do now?' asked Orihime finally.

'We have to search for him. Street by street,' answered Ichigo with his characteristic, gloomy face. 'No big asking, Urahara may be under constant surveillance and we don't want to catch anybody's attention.'

'We may not find him today. We'll separate, each of us will go different way. We'll meet here at dusk. Agreed?' asked Ichigo.

'I'm not against it, but Orihime won't be safe alone,' replied Ishida.

They all looked at the girl. She was standing, one hand around her horse, Ririn. The dun mare originally belonged to Karin, Ichigo's younger sister, but Isshin decided to give it to Orihime, who since her brother's death did not keep a horse, while it would just be an unnecessary expence. The mare was quite wild and when Karin mounted her, she would often show her own idea of where and how they were going. Fortunately, probably because her new owner was a completely different person than the previous one, she didn't even try to pose a problem since they had departed. Orihime would caress her every time she had her hands free and thanks to this, during only this two days she made friends with the whimsical horse.

To be true, Ichigo couldn't imagine anybody, who didn't like Orihime. It was not only thanks to her character, but also her looks. The only proper way of describing her figure was... Well, it was hard to describe it in any pleasant and courteous way. Maybe by comparison, to a hourglass or a guitar. She had long, red hair and big, beautiful gray eyes. No wonder, Ishida liked her.

'So you go with her,' said Ichigo as if it was the most natural thing in this world.

'I don't want to disturb the search…,' started the girl, but she was instantly interrupted by Ichigo.

'You're not interrupting. You're kind and people like you at first sight,' _even too much_, he added in his mind. 'You'll be a great help.'

'It's just that a lone girl in a big city attracts trouble,' finished Ishida.

They did not say, what kind of trouble she might attract. After this whole story with soldiers, she should have known that herself. And probably she understood, because she just nodded.

'So,' started Ichigo once more. 'We'll split up. Orihime will go with Ishida, Chad and I will go alone. We'll meet by that old sundial in the park, you remember it, don't you?'

They often used it as a meeting point with their classmates and colleagues when they were still at school, just a few months earlier.

'Stupid question,' spit out Ishida. Chad nodded, as always.

'So, by the sundial at six,' summarized Ichigo.

Orihime waved both Kurosaki and Chad goodbye and together with Ishida they headed north. Chad went to check the district in which they used to attend their school, southeast. Ichigo went to the west, to the part of the town in which he had never been before.

He searched for the guy the whole day. Street by street, rarely only asking questions, more just looking around. In vain. Chad walked once more the streets they used to go in their schooldays. It was easier for him, while he could recall the bigger streets well, together with most shops and inns. He had only the smaller streets to check. There usually was nothing interesting in them – some were pretty and well-kept, with tenements' clean windows facing it and flowers on external sills and balconies. Some streets were tiny and filthy, only some stray dogs and peasants in them. The houses were mostly in ruin, a few times he noticed a greedy eye following his movements, but fortunately, most robbers thought him either too big, or knew him as the best boxer in town he used to be. All decided to leave him alone. His search was also vain.

And about Orihime and Ishida… well, they were just lucky.

* * *

'Have you heard?  
there's a rumor in our Seiretei  
have you heard?  
what they're saying on the streets  
although the king did not survive  
one daughter may be still alive!  
the king Kuchiki's daughter  
but please-OWEE!' little, black haired girl shielded her had with both hands, letting the broom fall on the floor. 'Jinta! What was that for?'

She gave her fellow cleaner, a red-haired boy, not much higher than she was, a reproaching look, with her eyes full of tears.

'The manager told us to never ever sing songs like this. And this one especially,' he replied with an evil grin, clenching his broom. 'So now you deserve punishment!'

'Jinta, the broom is for cleaning the porch!' a voice came from inside the shop.

The boy lowered the broom and sighed. He hated cleaning the porch. He usually just stood there, waiting for Ururu to do the job.

'What's the point in keeping this damn shop clean, if we never have any clients anyway?' he asked the empty street in front of his nose.

'Clients can come any moment!' answered Ururu lifting her broom and starting to sweep up once more.

'Yeah. For sure. And who, in your opinion, is our next client?' he asked ironically. 'Maybe this cat?'

He pointed the purely black cat, who was sitting on the edge of the porch for some time now.

'Shooo!' he took a swing at it with his broom. The cat didn't even wink an eye. 'What the hell?'

'I guess I'm not your next client, you were right,' it said. Jinta's jaw droppped, together with his broom.

'It's… It's… It's talking!' he exclaimed.

'Indeed, I am,' the boy could swear the cat was grinning at him. His voice was deep and manlike. 'I came to visit your manager. Announce me.'

'As whom?' asked Ururu, practical as always. She didn't even stare at the strange animal.

'Shihoin Yoruichi. An old friend of his. Doubt he forgot.'

'Straighaway, mister Shihoin,' she bowed politely.

'Just Yoruichi.'

* * *

'We've been wandering for ages,' said Orihime stretching her back. Ishida gave her a fast glance.

They were leading their horses a little, dusty street, very close to the city wall. It was already after noon, and they had not sat for a single moment since their departure from the inn. They had neither eaten anything.

'I guess we can stop for a little while in some appropriate place,' he sighed.

'That would be so good,' she smiled. 'We could finally eat something nice. Like some red bean paste with fresh bread…'

Ishida just shook his head. Her taste when it came to food was quite… unusual. Good enough she didn't cook during their journey.

They were passing by little, wooden houses, not even tenants. One-, at most two-story houses. Mostly thrown together from some rubbish wood, found or stolen. Poor neighborhood. No way, there would be any kind of store here. It would have been constantly robbed. They went in the wrong direction. Tough luck.

'Look! We're here!' exclaimed suddenly Orihime catching his elbow.

At first he didn't know, what she meant.

'What?'

'The shop! We've found it!' she let go of his elbow and pointed in the right direction.

She was right. About twenty yards from them there stood a building, that distinguished from the whole rest in nothing but the big, white board on the roof, on which black letters formed the phrase "Urahara Store".

'We did it!' Orihime would probably start jumping and dancing around in joy if it hadn't been for Ririn, whose bridle she was holding with one hand.

Ishida just sighed and started walking towards the store. From a closer look, it differed from all the houses around. True, it was wooden, but it was not made from rubbish. It had been built from solid, well-chosen logs and planks. In the windows there were real panes, not some thin paper. It stood strangely undisturbed and solid in the middle of this poor and collapsing neighborhood.

Orihime immediately caught up with him.

'So what are we gonna do?' she asked. 'Should we enter and tell him everything?'

'No,' replied the boy. 'He doesn't know us. And as far as I know, he probably is careful with strangers, while he's the same type of outcast as Ichigo's family.' _And mine too_, he added in his thoughts. 'He won't help just the two of us for sure.'

Orihime's face fell.

'So what are we gonna do?' she repeated her question, but this time more calmly.

'We have to memorize the way, meet the rest, and then bring them here.' He answered. 'Don't worry, it's a lot of time so we can search for someplace nice to sit down and eat.'

After these words the girl brightened up. Oh, how easy it was to make her happy.

* * *

They met as they had agreed. By the sundial at six. Sun was already low and shadows started to lengthen. Orihime, Ishida and Chad were already there when Ichigo came.

'Useless. I didn't find a thing…,' he started.

'But we did!' exclaimed Orihime.

'What? Really?' Ichigo seemed quite stunned.

'We've found Urahara Store,' bore out Ishida.

'That's… good,' replied Ichigo. 'Have you talked to him?'

'No, we thought he might not believe us,' answered Ishida. 'I guess it would be better if you talked to him and showed him this whole letter.'

_He was probably right_, Ichigo had to admit it in his mind.

'Okay, so we're going,' he said aloud.

'Yay!' Orihime jumped up. 'Oh, I can't wait to see this old friend of your father! I wonder if he is in anyway like your father…'

The other two also stood up and took their horses. Chad's stallion was definitely a cold blood, destined more to pull a plow or carriage, not to carry a horseman. But no normal horse would be able to carry this giant. And so, Nova was a twenty-one hands high bay horse with beautiful, black feathering. He strikingly resembled his owner, not only in size and strength, but he was also very calm and quiet and got along very well with other horses.

They left the park, Ishida with Claud leading, then together Ichigo and Orihime, who was telling him what they had seen today, their horses and Chad with Nova were closing the group. It was getting a bit colder and they all put cloaks on before they reached Urahara's shop.

'Thank goodness that it's still bright,' said Ishida. 'And I'd like us to take care of everything before the dusk. We won't be safe here when the night falls.'

That was right. Ichigo knew, that it was one of the places, from where a gullible stranger might not come back alive. He didn't find himself and his friends gullible, but tempting providence was not a good idea.

'So what are we gonna do?' asked Orihime once more.

'We're going in,' replied Ichigo. 'I guess someone just should stay outside and keep an eye on the horses. Chad?' he asked.

The tall boy just nodded. He took the reins from the rest. Kon, Ichigo's white stallion, immediately tried to bite Claud, but was calmed down when Ririn jostled him with her head.

Ichigo went on the porch. Ishida and Orihime followed him. He firmly knocked on the door. They waited for what seemed ages before the door opened and they could see the one who had opened them. A little girl, with her hair tied into two ponytails.

'Welcome to the Urahara Store,' she said in a very shy voice. 'Please, come in.'

She opened the door to them.

'Mister Tessai, customers!' she announced to someone inside.

They entered the shop. It seemed to be too small for a shop. There was only a long counter by the wall on the opposite side of it, extending almost to the full length of the wall. Behind the counter there was just a single display cabinet with many parcels, larger and smaller, each wrapped up in brown paper and tied with string. There was also a door, painted green, this horrible, strong, dark green, that is most commonly used for painting fences and roofs. The third element, crowning the whole scenery, was a high and broad-shouldered man, comparable only to Chad. He wore a navy blue apron and dark glasses, completely useless inside any room.

'Welcome to Urahara Store,' he said in a stentorian voice. 'How can I help you?'

The three of them were already inside and the girl closed the door behind them. She approached the counter.

'We're searching for Urahara himself,' answered Ichigo.

The man wouldn't have turned a hair.

'Ururu, get the owner,' he told the girl.

She even did not reply, just disappeared under the counter, so high they could not see her from behind it. The door, green one, opened for a moment with a squeak. They were alone with the high man, Tessai, as the girl called him, in the shop. Silence fell, embarrassing as always.

'It's not a big shop, is it?' started Orihime with a nice smile. 'What do you sell?'

'We get whatever a customer needs,' answered the man.

'Um… do you have many customers?' she continued.

'Not to much. We haven't had any this week,' he replied politely.

'Do you have maybe… some food?'

'Not at this moment, but we can get for our customers whatever they want.'

'And if I wanted…'

She was not given a possibility to finish her question as the door swung open.

'I heard someone was looking for me,' said a tall, thin man, who appeared from the back. 'Oh my, isn't it anybody but Kurosaki Ichigo? I can recall you being about her age!' he exclaimed, pointing at something, probably the little girl from the moment before, that was invisible from behind the counter.

'Captain Urahara,' said Ichigo.

'No, don't call me captain anymore. I'm no longer one. Just Urahara,' the man smiled. Strange, as it may seem, he had a fan in his hand and each time he spoke he made gestures with it. 'How is your dear old father doing? But we should't stay here, come with me, in back is where I lead my plain life. Jinta, take the horses from their friend outside. Ururu, go prepare some tee. We're closing for today.'

* * *

Just ten minutes later the whole four of them was sitting in a little living room upstairs, drinking some fresh tee. There was still one free place, probably for the man called Tessai.

'So, what brings you here, dear Ichigo?' asked Urahara, still the fan still in his hand.

He looked quite different from what Ichigo remembered. No sword, no traditional 13 Protection Squads' captain's traditional outfit. He looked like a peasant or tramp – big, coat-like, dirt-colored thing on his shoulders, beneath it a green blouse, and matching pants reaching just beneath his knees. The rest of his outfit consisted of wooden sandals and a bucket hat in white and green straps. And of course the fan and a wooden cane.

'We had some… problems,' Ichigo started explaining. 'Orihime was attacked by the king's men and we saved her.'

'Oh.'

Urahara gave Orihime an interested look. She stared at her knees. Why, why did he have to remind her of that day? She felt bad every single time she remembered it. Like crap. Like something worse, dirty. She hated herself, hated that men and hated herself for hating them. Something told her she should hate them, hate them as much as she could, but something else told her she cannot hate anyone. She just didn't hate people. She didn't want to change it, even if they deserved it. They were bad, they did wrong, but she shouldn't. And then again, she wanted to hate them. not only to hate them, but also to punish them somehow. She just clenched her fists harder. She wanted… But she couldn't… She had to be a good person, her brother would have wanted her to be good. But her brother would probably get angry with them. They tried to hurt her. She wanted… She couldn't… Oh, damn it all to hell!

'I didn't mean that, but in the fight I… killed one of them.'

'Oh.'

'Oh.' Just an 'oh'. He killed a man, and Urahara just gave him an 'oh'. It angered him, he didn't even know why it did. Damn. Did killing use to be his everyday bread? Ichigo couldn't imagine any other reason why his father's friend could have reacted in this way. So it was true. Being a member of 13 Protective Squads meant killing. Killing to protect. But it was still killing. But he had already decided what he wanted to do, didn't he? To join the rebels. To kill for justice. Kill… A strange shiver came down his spine. _Kill._

'And so we had to run,' finished Ishida, feeling that no-one else wanted to continue the story. 'Kurosaki's father told us to get to you, while you can help us. He gave us a letter to you.'

'A letter? Oh, how nice!' exclaimed Urahara, hiding his face behind the fan. 'I haven't heard from the old folk in ages!'

Ichigo snapped out of his thoughts. He reached to his breast pocket and took the letter out.

Urahara grabbed it and immediately tore the envelope open. He read the short letter very quickly and sighed.

'Now I can see,' he said, putting it down onto his lap. 'So, my dear, what do you want to do now? How can I help you? And what are your names? We forgot about the most important courtesies in the beginning. I'm Urahara Kisuke, the owner of this place. This is Ururu,' he pointed at the little girl. 'You probably already know Tessai,' he continued when the tall, dark-skinned man from before entered the room with a tray full of food, 'and the boy's, wherever he is now, name is Jinta.'

'Pleased to meet you!' exclaimed Orihime. 'My name is Inoue Orihime.'

'Sadou Yasutora,' said Chad.

'I'm Ishida Uryuu,' added Ishida.

'And I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, though you all know me, I guess,' summarized Ichigo.

Urahara's face beamed with a smile.

'Once you got to Karakura you're probably are safe. Nobody will look for you this far. And I'll be more than pleased to help you all settle in here,' he said. 'Or does anybody think about leaving this beautiful town?'

'Actually…,' started Ichigo. 'I thought of using the opportunity and now, as we're outlaws anyway, joining the rebels.'

'The rebels?' Urahara raised an eyebrow. 'Well, I could have expected that from what I remembered of you. And what your father wrote me.'

For a moment he seemed to be thinking.

'And what about the rest of you?' he asked. 'It would be easier for me to know from the beginning what you're planning.'

'I'd like to attend some kind of a medical school,' answered Orihime. 'To become a nurse, maybe even… a doctor?' she finished shyly.

Urahara nodded.

'I'm going with Ichigo,' said Chad.

'What?' the red-haired girl almost jumped in surprise. 'You want to join the rebels?' she asked quietly.

He just nodded. Ichigo threw Chad a thankful look. It was good to know that not only he wanted to fight. That was a load off his mind. It made him finally accept his own choice as a right one.

'And I was thinking to finally take a chance on becoming a full-time tailor,' said Ishida. 'What?' he asked surprised, when all the eyes turned towards him.

'No, nothing,' murmured Ichigo.

'Wow, you were really into handicrafts at school, but I didn't know you were so good at it,' exclaimed Orihime.

Ishida just smiled.

'Have you ever attended any kind of a medical school?' Urahara asked Orihime.

'No,' she replied.

'Hm… And do you have any… predisposition for that?' he continued asking.

'I… well, I really don't know,' she answered.

'Well… Pardon my next question, but does any of you have any kind of… abilities?'

'What do you mean by abilities?' inquired Ishida suspiciously.

'Magical abilities,' answered Urahara as if it was something common.

'Do you know how rare those are?' asked Orihime surprised.

Urahara just smiled.

'No, they aren't. It's just what Aizen wants you to think. If you don't realize that you have them, you won't use them. And fighting people who can use magic is a lot more difficult. Same with keeping them under control,' he said. 'In the times of king Kuchiki it was normal for specially trained people to wander from town to town and search for children with magical abilities. Then they could be taught, how to use their powers.'

None answered.

'So I can assume, none of them has this kind of powers,' he summed up, throwing Ishida a meaningful glance. 'My dear,' he addressed Orihime once more 'would you mind supporting as a 

doctor people who fight for the freedom of this country? For the upright ruler and justice? For escapes like yours never to happen to anyone? Would you like to join the so called rebels as a doctor?'

Orihime got really surprised this time.

'I… I don't know. I've never thought about it…,' she said.

But that was not quite true. She often thought about bringing justice to that man. If there was a rightful king to take the throne, not the so called traitor Aizen? From what she heard from Ichigo, from his father, from all the people around her in their old village, Aizen was not a good king. There was no justice under his reign. If she could help to restore the justice… That was something she wanted. She believed in Ichigo. If he thought helping rebels would bring the justice back, she wanted to believe him. And she wanted to help.

'Well, I guess I'd like to do that,' she said. 'But first I must become a doctor, don't I?'

'Not necessarily,' replied Urahara grinning. 'You'll be able to become one after joining the so-called rebels. And as for you,' he turned towards Ishida. 'You won't be safe here. You know that. They'll find you anyway. You should flee.'

_How the hell does he know?_, thought Ishida. i've_ never told any of my friends about it. He must have sensed it, and that means I'm not safe here and he's right. But what the hell is he up to?_

'Anyway, you are all to do the same thing. Escape to Hitori.'

'Other country? Really?' asked Orihime.

'Yes. In Hitori, with the help of king Byakuya, the forces you refer to as "rebels" are formed,' he explained. 'Most of king Kuchiki's soldiers who had survived the revolution have fled there. And you can join them. Or just live there safely,' he added looking straight at Ishida. The boy did not react. The rest remained silent.

'Will you help us?' asked Ichigo finally.

'Yes, I will help you,' said Urahara. 'But under one condition.'

'What condition?'

'You'll take king Kuchiki's younger daughter with you.'


End file.
